In its last-ditched effort, TikTok has pulled up a great entertainment show by gathering several influencers on its platform ahead of a potential app ban by Congress.
The bill to ban TikTok is expected to pass the House today.

In full-on fight mode, the social media app faces a crucial vote in Congress and is pulling out all the stops. At the social media giant’s request, popular creators like JT, a lip-syncing star, flew in to meet lawmakers, showing how TikTok puts food on their tables. The app asked them to meet lawmakers to oppose the bill, which the Biden administration supports.
“This is 100 percent of what we rely on to put food on our tables and pay our bills,” 39-year-old JT Laybourne said while talking to POLITICO on the Capitol steps. Laybourne, a content creator and lip-sync artist joined TikTok in 2019 and now has a follower base of 1.7 million people.
CEO Shou Chew is expected to lobby on Capitol Hill personally.
Meanwhile, whispers filled the air. Congressional briefings discussed China potentially using the app to scoop up data, a national security concern. However, lawmakers like Representative Garcia argued a ban would hurt free speech and the economy.
Four Democratic House members joined the creators, expressed support for the creators, and joined them for a press conference on the Capitol grounds on Tuesday. “Any ban on TikTok is not just banning the freedom of expression. You are causing huge harm to our national economy,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.)
Another member, Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), backed the TikTok creators, saying, “Not only am I a no, I’m a hell no.”